Preprint Case Report Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Treatment with Erythromycin and Tacrolimus for Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome-Related Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report

Version 1 : Received: 7 June 2024 / Approved: 10 June 2024 / Online: 11 June 2024 (15:54:49 CEST)

How to cite: Ohe, M. Treatment with Erythromycin and Tacrolimus for Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome-Related Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report. Preprints 2024, 2024060688. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0688.v1 Ohe, M. Treatment with Erythromycin and Tacrolimus for Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome-Related Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report. Preprints 2024, 2024060688. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0688.v1

Abstract

A 64-year-old woman with primary Sjogren’s syndrome which was not treated, was admitted to our hospital for nasal bleeding, oral bleeding, and purpura on her entire body. On this admission, laboratory findings were as follows: WBC counts, 8,910 /μL; hemoglobin, 9.9 g/dL; and platelet counts, 0.1×104/μL. Although the anti-PLT antibody was positive, other autoimmune antibodies such as anti-DNA were negative. Moreover, cytomegalovirus IgM, Parbovirus B19 IgM, and Helicobacter pyroli IgG antibodies were not detected. No abnormal findings suggestive of infection were identified in the systemic examination. A bone marrow aspiration smear revealed normal bone marrow. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with primary Sjogren’s syndrome-related immune thrombocytopenia. The patient initially received intravenous immunoglobulin, methyl prednisolone pulse therapy, and subsequent high dose prednisolone without significant improvement. Therefore, eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, was added. Subsequently, erythromycin was also added, considering its immunomodulatory effects. After initiating the erythromycin treatment, the platelet counts increased. Therefore, add-on eltrombopag and erythromycin treatment was effective; however, the platelet counts gradually decreased with reducing the prednisolone dosage. Instead of increasing the prednisolone dosage again, tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, was successfully added. Consequently, the prednisolone dosage could be reduced. This case shows that treatment with erythromycin and tacrolimus may be efficacious when conventional immunosuppressants show limited effectiveness in primary Sjogren’s syndrome-related immune thrombocytopenia.

Keywords

Sjogren’s syndrome; Immune thrombocytopenia; Erythromycin; Tacrolimus

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Hematology

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.